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What is a gardener’s best tool to see into the future of the garden? Glad you asked. A gardener’s next horticultural steps will be driven by something between a whim and a goal, but our point of view is the most immediate catalyst for launching that directive towards action. From our point of view, we apply our imagination, experience, and plant passion based upon what we are literally seeing from where we are actually standing. So, when line of sight is obstructed through a space (albeit by established but “over-mature” garden plantings, or by an overgrown thicket of vines and brambles) our vision of what is possible is likewise shortsighted.
Edified by your numerous compliments about the ongoing improvement of our seasonal and perennial displays, we are also working tirelessly behind the scenes to add more beauty-filled vistas to your garden experience—revitalizing areas that have been lying fallow for decades. From where we stand, most of these locations are waaaaaaaaay overgrown; and we simply can’t see in. In order to move forward toward a goal or to act upon a gardening whim, we must first clear the way.
Because there’s already an established Garden and there’s already a perfectly beautiful Home, clearing land at Bellingrath Gardens and Home is a more involved process than clearing land for, let’s saaaay, a parking lot. Some plants are sacrosanct; sometimes maneuverability is limited by buildings and power lines; and often we just have to take the time to scout for old garden infrastructure, like buried utilities.
How about our tools? We have at the ready a Caterpillar backhoe/loader (the star subject of previous blogs), a small Kubota utility tractor, small chainsaws, a pole chainsaw, pruning saw and loppers, strong ropes for pulling, strong chains for dragging, stump-killing herbicide. These tools allow us to clear woody obstructions large and small with adequate speed to feel that rush of instant gratification, with the precision necessary to avoid collateral damage when working tight quarters, and with permanence to prevent re-sprouting.
Plucking a 1’ diameter weed tree out of the ground like candy out of a dish is extremely satisfying, although in confined areas, it also feels great to see how much progress can be made in just two hours with a handsaw, loppers, and stump-killing herbicide. Thanks to wide service roads and tons of undeveloped space, wood and brush produced by the clearing can be easily be transported whole and piled up on Bellingrath’s back acres rather than cut into small pieces and hauled off property.
In 2025, we have reclaimed nearly three behind-the-scenes acres that had been left fallow for decades. Our line of sight has been restored! Greenbriar and water oak has been replaced by fresh ideas. In the interim, much of this space will be mowed for the first time in at least two decades. However, some reclaimed spaces are being planted immediately. Over the past year, we’ve added over 200 varieties trees, shrubs, and perennials to our permanent display beds. Oh, and get this—we’ve cleared about one quarter in the former Camellia Arboretum—and it’s on the schedule to be re-Camellia’d later this winter!
We’ve allocated over 100 Camellias to be planted into the cleared area, representing the first new Camellias to be added to the Camellia Arboretum in a half century. We anticipate this will be a big deal for us—maybe just too darn big for us to handle on our own. So, on Saturday February 28th at 10am, we will be inviting our members and the Camellia community at large to grab a shovel and help us begin replanting the famous Bellingrath Camellia Arboretum. Stay tuned to our website for the official announcement. In the meantime, we are installing an irrigation grid to cover this section and we are preparing the soil to make the planting easy-peasy-ish.
I forgot to mention another tool we are using to clear a path forward…the pen. The pen is mightier than the chainsaw…I think that’s how the old saying goes, but correct me if I’m misremembering. While we were behind the scenes clearing nearly three acres with a 16” Stihl chainsaw, Bellingrath was simultaneously clearing a path forward for the future of the Garden’s entire five-acre Historic Core. With the veil of existing constraints pulled back, we’ve been advancing our initial Master Plan level ideas to enhance the outdoor experience around the Bellingrath Home. We are moving boldly forward with drawings that inform the creation of new spaces and support the preservation of the historic estate into the 22nd century. I can’t get into too much detail (and I really, really, really want to!), but I can say we are past the point of ideating, so that our next round of drawings won’t be flowery—they will be specifically for the purpose of construction!
So much is happening at Bellingrath Gardens and Home. We are clearing a path forward; and there is something new and wonderful to see right in front of our eyes almost every day—with a line of sight to a world class future.
